Animal trap



NOV. 29, H, CQOPER 1,889,351

ANIMAL TRA P Filed Aug. 25. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l IZ-Wj, Z 3

INVENTOR ATToRNEv Nov.`29, 1932.

H. COOPER ANIMAL TRAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2V Filed Aug'. 25. 1931 MIM.

Harry Caoezmmm BY @wf m4,

Patented Nov. 29, 1932 1,889,351

UNITED STATES PATENT FFI'CE` HARRY COOPER, OF CARROLLTON, MISSOURI ANIMAL TRAP i Y lapplication filed August 25, 1931. Serial No. 559,272.

This invention relates to animal traps of Figure 2 is a top plan view illustrating the the jaw type and has for the primary object jaws ina set position. the provision of an improved support for Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the the jaws, whereby said aws when in set posiline 3 3 of Figure 1.

tion will be protected and substantially hid- Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view 55 den from view to reduce the possibility of the taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1. jaws becoming fouled and materially aid in Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on permitting the device to be camoutlaged or the line 5 5 of Figure 1. V A covered from view, so that animals will not j Referring in detail to the drawings, the

become suspicious thereof. j numeral 1 indicates a semi-spherical shaped 50 Another object of this invention is the prosupport having an anchoring chain 2 sevision of the supportso constructed that the cured thereto by a bolt or like fastener 3. In trap may turn or pivot relative to its anchor use the chain is adapted to be secured to any with an animal caught thereby to permit the suitable anchor (not shown) and the support j 5 animal to move about with a limited freemay be substantially buried in the ground or 65 dom reducing to a minimum the possibility positioned in shallow water, and due to the of the animal inflicting self-injury. y support being of solid walls will prevent the A further object of this invention is the trap means located therein from contacting provision of the jaws having skirt portions with the water and being aifected by freezing 0 cooperating with the support in preventing and thawing of the water, also the trap means the animal from gaining freedom by knawwhen the support Vis embedded within the ing free the. foot or leg portion caught withground is protected from being fouled. in thektrap and also provides a medium for A semi-circular shaped strap 4 is secured the jaw operating means to engage for movin the support 1 by the fastener 3 with its ing the jaws into gripping position. ends terminating adjacent the edges of the 75 A. further object of this invention is the support and has pivoted to said ends a semiprovision of the jaw Operating Ineens SO circular shaped stirrup 5 to which jaws 7 are mounted in the SUPPOTJC and PIOteCted thereby pivoted. The jaws are provided with serthatthe danger of fouling is obviated and rated gripping faces 8 adapted to come into is practically Concealed from View by Sad contact when thejaws are in released position Support .tre/adb? and .NWS When the. latter and have formed thereon semi-spherical are in Set pOSltlpIlshaped skirt portions 9, the edges of which are x A fl l1"the1` ObleCt 0f 15h15 lIIVQIltlOIl 1S the out away to form cam faces 1() to be engaged 3 PTOVlSlQU 0f mems fOr Pflmlttlng the JaVS by the ends of an operating arm 11. The oper- 5 5 and then' mQultmg t0 the Support tobe eally ating arm isl ournalled on a post 12 mounted mOVef- Telatlve t0 the Support S0 that the? law on the stirrup 5 and is surrounded by a coiled Operatmg means may be easlly and qulckly spring 13 one end of which is secured to the set and returned within the support. tu hj th t] With these and other objects in view', this Operatmg arm 11 as Shown a W Le e O l 40 er end is secured to the stirrup 5. 90 invention consists in certain novel features The Spring 13 is of the tension type and artisan.@estatutarias adapted .to 11 described and Claimed in one direction and with the ends of said For a complete understanding 0f my ingrin engagmg the Cam Shaped edges 10 of the 4.5 Venton., reference is .to be had to the f011OW skirts 9, the jaws when freed will be moved ing description and accompanying drawings, toward each other to catch an animal between in which a. the gripping .faces 8 thereof.

` Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illus- Wlflenl the JaWS are 111 2L Set POSltlOn they trating an animal trap constructed in accordlle Wl'hlllv the SllPlOOlt l thereby Pellllttllg 5 ance with my invention. the device to be easily concealed from view 100 and also reducing to a minimum the possibility of the jaws becoming fouled.

A treadle arm 15 is pivotedto the stirrup as shown at 16 and carries a treadle 17 adapted to substantially close the space between the jaws when the latter are in a set position as shown in Figure 2 and the pivoted end of the treadle arm 15 is provided with a notch to receive the free end of a latch element 18 which is pivoted to the stirrup 5 as shown at 1.9 and said latch element carries a substantially V-shaped lug or projection 20 to engage in a notch 21 of a holdingdisk 22 journalled to the stirrup 5 as shown at 23. A notch 24 is formed in the holding disk 22 opposite'the notch 21 providing said holding disk with a weighted side and said notch 24; is adapted to receive the bevelled end 25 of the jaw operating arm 11. When the operating arm 11 is positioned in the notch 24, the tension of the spring 13 is Vincreased and the holding disk 22 is held against rotation by the latch element 18 engaging in the notch 21 and the free end of the latch element engaging in the notch of the treadle arm 15.V The latch element fitting in the notch of the treadle arm 15 holds the treadle in a set position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 so that an animal stepping on the treadle frees the trip element and allows the latter to disengage from the notch 21. The holding disk 22 is then free to rotate allowing the operating arm 11 to turn by the influence of the spring 13 and due to the arm being in engagement with the cam shaped edges 10 of the skirts 9, the jaws will be swung into gripping position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.

An animal caught between the jaws 7 will be prevented from gnawing the caught portion for the purpose of obtaining freedom due to the arrangement of the skirts 9 and also the support being of semi-spherical shape will allow the animal trapped to have limited freedom of movement to reduce to a minimum the possibility of the animal injuring itself and further the ysupport being of semi-circular shape will ,permit the latter under the influence of an animal to turn or pivot, thus reducing the possibility of the animal rendering self-injury thereto.

The material from which the jaws and skirts is formed has the edges rolled to strengthen the jaws and skirts as well as to present comparatively smooth edges. A

To set the jaws, the stirrup 5 is swung on its pivot moving the skirt of one jaw within the support 1 and the other skirt outwardly ofthe support exposing to view the operating arm 11 which then ymay be rotated in the proper direction to bring the bevelled end 25 thereof into the notch 24 of the holding disk 22. The bevelled end V25 of the operating arm -when moved in theV last named direction causes the holding disk to rotate in the di-y rection indicated by the arrow in Figure 5 and as the arm passes the pivot of the holding disk, the latter owing to its weighted side gravitat-es to position the notch 21 for the V-shaped lug 2O of the latch to gravitate into and then positioning the treadle so that the latch element is in the notch of the treadle arm 15, the operating arm 11 will be held in an operative position. The jaws 7 are then free to be separated bringing the cam shaped edges 10 into engagement with the operating arm and returning the stirrup 5 into parallelism with the member 4, the aws and skirt are then confined within the support 1 exposing vthe treadle 17 so that when an animal steps on said treadle, the weight frees the latch element 18 to set the operating arm in operation for closing the jaw on a portion of the animal.

l/Vhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as claimed.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim is:

1. A trap comprising a semi-spherical shaped support, anchoring means for the support, jaws pivoted to said support and disposed within the latter when in a set position, a treadle means for holding said jaws in a set position, means under the influence of said treadle means for urging the jaws outwardly of the support into gripping position, and semi-spherical shaped shields carried by the jaws and confined within the support when said jaws are in a set position and substantially close the space between the support and the jaws when the latter are in gripping position.

2. A trap comprising a semi-spherical shaped support, anchoring means for the support, a stirrup pivoted in said support, jaws pivoted to the stirrup, shields carried by the jaws and having lcam shaped edges, a tension arm j ournalled to the stirrup to engage with the cam shaped edges of the shields, and a treadle'means for holding the arm in an active position with the jaws occupying a spread position within the support.

3. A trap comprising a semi-spherical shaped support, anchoring means for the support, a stirrup pivoted in said support, jaws pivoted to the stirrup, shields carried by the jaws and having cam shaped edges, a tension arm journalled to the stirrup to engage with the cam shaped edges of the shields, a weighted latch element journalled to the stirrup and having oppositely disposed notches, one of said notches receiving the operating arm for holding the latter in an active position, a latch pivoted to the stirrup and engaging the other notch to hold the latch element against rotation, and a treadle pivoted to the stirrup to receive the latch element to prevent the disengagement of the latter from its respective notch until influenced by the weight of an animal thereon.

4. A trap comprising a self-righting, semispherical shaped casing, anchoring means for the casing, aws pivoted Within said casing and lying Wholly Within the latter when in a set position, and a treadle means for holding said jaws in a set position.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

HARRY COOPER. 

